First Down and Chiropractic to Go

When you witness a crushing tackle during a game of Monday
Night Football, you probably wonder how these guys can continue
to get out and play again the following week. Besides simply
being big and tough, one way players in the National Football
League (NFL) get back on their feet is through chiropractic
treatment. Sports chiropractors focus on treating injuries
of the muscles and bones. With back pain alone appearing
in as many as 75% of professional athletes every year, and
possibly even a greater percentage of football players, NFL
players are requiring chiropractic care for their aches and
pains.

To determine the use of chiropractic in the NFL, a questionnaire
was sent to the head athletic trainers of every team in the
league. The questions related to frequency and type of treatment
used to treat injured players. Of the two-thirds of all trainers
who responded, the results indicate a strong use of chiropractic:

45% of the NFL trainers had personally seen a chiropractor;

77% of trainers had referred players to a chiropractor;
and

31% of NFL teams had an official chiropractor on their
staff.

The trainers surveyed in this study in the Journal of
Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics predominantly
referred players to chiropractors for low back pain, neck
injury, and headaches. With professional sports organizations
beginning to embrace chiropractic, perhaps more of the general
public will seek out this natural, safe alternative to drugs
and surgery.

Reference:

Stump JL, Redwood D. The use and role of sport chiropractors
in the National Football League: A short report. Journal
of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2002:25(3),
p. e2.